Third-rail-railway system.



PATENTED DEC. 1, 1903.

W. E. WRAY.

THIRD RAIL RAILWAY SYSTEM.

APPLIUATION FILED MAR. 26. 1903.

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UNITED ST TES iatented December 1, 1903.

PATENT UFFI E.

THlRD-RAlL-RAILWAY SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent H0. 74:5,7C8, dated December 1, 1903.

Application filed March 26, i903. Serial No; 149.610." (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, VVILLIAM E. WRAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county ofNew York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Third-RailElectric- Railway Systems, of which the following is a specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to third-rail electricrailway systems; and the object thereof is to provide improved means for cleaning the third rail or removing therefrom snow, ice, and other substances which may collect thereon and operate to prevent proper electrical connection therewith.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawings forma part, in which the separate parts of my improvement are. designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which Figure 1 is a side view of a section of a third-rail electric railway and showing a car or truck provided with my improvement; Fig. 2, a bottom plan view thereof, and Figs. 3 and 4-. are side views of details of the construction shown in Fig. 1.

In the drawings forming part of this specification I have shown at a one of the main rails of a railway-track, and at b a third or electric rail, and I have also shown at c a cartruck, which may represent either a part of an ordinary car or a part of a motor, and in the practice of my invention I mount beneath the truck a main shaft d, which is supported in hangers e and provided with journal-boxes f, through which the shaft cl passes, and placed in the hangers 2 over the journalboxes f are springs g, which bear on said journal-boxes and serve to hold the shaft d in a depressed position or to press said shaft downwardly at all times. The shaft 01 is provided at one or both ends with a gear-wheel h, and one of these wheels is adapted to bear at all times on the rail 6. The truckc is also provided with other hangersi, in which are mounted-journal-boxes 3', through which is passed a supplemental shaft is, and this shaft is provided with a gear-wheel m, which operatesin connection with a corresponding gearwith a brush 39, made, preferably, of steel wire or any other suitable material, and said hangers i and the shaft It are located rearwardly of the hangers e and the shaft'd, or between said hangers e and the shaft cl and the wheels 1' of the truck. The truck (1 is also provided with a contact-arm 8, provided with a brush,

shoe, or similar devices i, also adapted to bear on the rail 12, and by means of which electrical connection is made between the motor, which is not showmand the rail 1). As thus constructed one of the wheels h is always in contact with the rail b, and the shaft 01 is revolved by friction occasion ed by the pressure of said wheel on said rail; This operation cuts up or breaks up any ice, snow, sleet, dirt, rust, or other substances that may collect on said rail, and the brush p, which also bears on said rail and which is rapidly revolved through the agency of the gear-wheels m and n, brushes off or removes the said material from the surface of the rail and leaves the latter clean, so that the brush, shoe, or

other contact device 13 may make perfect electrical contact therewith. It will also be noticed that the brush or brushes 19 revolve in a direction opposite to that of the wheel or wheels h, and this also facilitates the operation of said brushes in cleaning the rail 1).

My invention is in no way limited to the construction of a car or motor, and my improveused on a third-rail electric-railway system and provided with hangers having a springdepressed shaft provided with a gear-wheel adapted to travel on the third rail, and a spring-supported shaft mounted adjacent to the first-named shaft and geared in connection therewith and provided With a brush also adapted to bear on said rail, substantially as shown and described.

2. A car ormotor adapted to be used in connection with a third-rail electric-railway system, said car or motor being provided With hangers in which is placed a spring-depressed shaft, a gear-Wheel connected with said shaft and adapted to bear on the third rail, a springsupported shaft mounted adjacent to the firstnamed shaft and geared in connection therewith and provided with a brush adapted to bear on said rail substantiall as shown and described.

3. A car or motor adapted to be used in connection with a third-rail electric-railway sys- IGIH, said car or motor being provided with my invention I have signed my name in presence of the subscribing witnesses, this 25th day of March, 1903.

WILLIAM E. WRAY.

lVitnesses:

F. A. STEWART, C. E. IVIULREANY. 

